Frequently Asked Questions
What is global warming?
What is a greenhouse gas?
What are carbon emissions?
What is a carbon offset?
What is a carbon credit?
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
What type of projects do you invest in?
What is renewable energy?
How does offsetting with Offset the Rest work?
So where does my money go?
How do I know I am supporting the projects detailed on your site?
How do I know I am purchasing authentic carbon credits and legitimately offsetting my carbon footprint?
How does it advantage my business to become carbon neutral?
How much will it cost my business to become carbon neutral?
What do you mean when you say a business is operating 'carbon neutral'?
How long will it take to become a carbon neutral business?
Are there any tax incentives for my business if it is operating on a carbon neutral basis?
What is the Gold Standard?
What is global warming?
Global warming is an increase in the average world temperature of the atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation into the future. Fossil fuels are responsible for over 60% of anthropogenic global warming (the main problem), and this is why Offset the Rest is concentrating on facilitating the growth of renewable energy.
What is a greenhouse gas?
Greenhouse gases prevent the heat of the sun from escaping the Earth's atmosphere, producing the greenhouse effect. The two most problematic greenhouse gases are water vapour and carbon dioxide but greenhouse gases also include methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrogen oxides.
Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities.
What are carbon emissions?
Greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by literally every activity in the civilized world. Making a cup of coffee includes the energy to grow the beans, process them and transport them to the supermarket, and then grind and filter them in your home. All of these activities cause greenhouse gas emissions or carbon emissions.
What is a carbon offset?
Avoiding the release of carbon into the atmosphere in one location by implementing an emissions reduction project in another location is known as offsetting.
The avoidance of releasing one tonne of carbon dioxide negates the effect of one tonne of carbon released somewhere else in the world. A carbon offset therefore ensures a net reduction in carbon emissions.
Offset the Rest has chosen to purchase Gold Standard carbon offsets as they are generated by renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that avoid the release of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.
Carbon credits are earned by projects that prevent the production of greenhouse gases, or remove them from the atmosphere. Carbon credits hold a value (in a similar way to shares) and so can be sold to other companies or individuals who can purchase them to offset their own emissions.
One carbon credit equals a saving of one tonne of carbon dioxide.
Carbon credits can be produced by a number of different types of projects. Offset the Rest only purchases carbon credits from renewable energy projects that do not produce any greenhouse gas emissions because we want to encourage and promote sustainable forms of producing energy, to allow for a cleaner future for us all. By purchasing our credits, you too are contributing to this shift in energy production.
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the international treaty on climate change. It outlines the greenhouse gas reduction goals for participating countries. One of its concepts is a ‘cap and trade’ emissions trading system that imposes national caps on the emissions of developed countries that have ratified the protocol, and have therefore agreed to reduce their emissions by 5.2% below their 1990 baseline over the period from 2008 to 2012. New Zealand is a participant. Two of the major emitters, Australia and the US, are not. However at recent UN-led talks in Bali in December 2007, nearly 200 nations (including the US) agreed a 'roadmap' for two years of talks to adopt a new treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
What type of projects do you invest in?
At Offset the Rest we envision a sustainable economy that depends less on fossil fuels such as oil and coal, and more on renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. So our goal is to fund and promote energy sources that cut back on emissions from the very beginning.
While there are benefits to the environment through other projects such as reforestation, we believe this falls outside our goal of changing our fundamental relationship with fossil fuels. Because we are looking for a long term solution, we will only be funding renewable energy projects that have an overall positive impact on the local economy in which they are situated.
What is renewable energy?
The five main renewable energy sources are biomass (organic material made from plants and animals), hydropower, geothermal, wind and solar. Renewable energy is unlimited and clean, meaning it produces no greenhouse gases.
How does offsetting with Offset the Rest work?
When you purchase our offsets, you are purchasing Gold Standard carbon credits that have been generated from Gold Standard renewable energy projects. Offset the Rest holds a portfolio of Gold Standard credits and these are recorded in our database. This database is audited annually by independent auditors to ensure its authenticity. In addition, Gold Standard operate a publicly viewable database at http://goldstandard.apx.com/. Offset the Rest records all purchases and sales within this database as well. This provides you with an extra level of assurance in our integrity.
Once you have made your purchase we will send you a certificate verifying your emission offsets. Your carbon credits are annulled within our database and the Gold Standard database so that they cannot be resold or reused in any way.
So where does my money go?
On average 70% of the purchase price goes directly to the renewable energy projects we support. The balance covers the essential costs of providing you with a carbon credit retail service. This is in line with other retail carbon offset companies worldwide.
How do I know I am supporting the projects detailed on your site?
Because our carbon credits are project specific.
We know how important it is for you to know you are making a difference, and we know how important it is for renewable energy projects to receive funding if we are to reduce fossil fuel consumption. Your funds will contribute directly to the projects specified on our projects page.
We want you to know your funds are truly being used in an honest and transparent manner to support the renewable energy projects we have promoted.
How do I know I am purchasing authentic carbon credits and legitimately offsetting my carbon footprint?
We have spent a lot of time and effort researching the best way of providing trustworthy authentic credits to you. It is extremely important to us that we are able to provide you with an appropriate level of reassurance that your credits are real, genuine and legitimate. For this reason, we entered into a relationship with the Gold Standard that allows us to sell you a premium product that has been independently verified and validated by a world-renowned organisation. This ensures the projects we invest in are credible, sustainable and of environmental integrity, as well as being beneficial to the host country. We will always provide full details of all projects invested in on the Projects page.
How does it advantage my business to become carbon neutral?
We are all aware of a worldwide high level of concern about climate change. It is now a major issue for every country. And New Zealand consumers, like everyone else around the world, are becoming more and more conscious of our environment and our impact on it. This has lead to an increase in demand and expectation from consumers that businesses will be environmentally responsible. As New Zealanders become more aware of the issues, they are making informed decisions and choosing products and services that promote the sustainability of our environment.
Being smarter about energy consumption within your business should reduce operating costs and provide a healthier working environment for your employees. And taking positive action sends a message to your customers and employees that you care about the environment they live and work in.
How much will it cost my business to become carbon neutral?
No two businesses are the same, so it is very difficult to estimate the cost to your business without first understanding how your business operates. If you are interested in becoming carbon neutral, please contact us so we can discuss the specifics of your business and our certification process in more detail with you. We will then be better informed to provide you with a cost estimate.
Normally the biggest cost arises in the first year of the process, before your business has had a chance to benefit from any reduction measures you have implemented. If the initial cost is proving to be a barrier to you, then we are happy to discuss alternative approaches, such as setting targets each year to reduce your overall footprint incrementally, or focusing on one division of your business at a time.
What do you mean when you say a business is operating 'carbon neutral'?
In the very broadest sense, carbon neutrality is achieved when emissions are measured, reduction initiatives are implemented, and carbon offsets are purchased, therefore creating a 'zeroed' position. Being carbon neutral means maintaining a balance between measuring and managing carbon emissions and the offsetting of any unavoidable emissions.
How long will it take to become a carbon neutral business?
You can operate as a carbon neutral business once we have conducted the exercise of calculating your carbon emissions, implementing emission reduction procedures, and offsetting any remaining emissions.
How long this takes will depend on the size and scope of your business. If you would like to discuss this in more detail, please contact us.
Are there any tax incentives for my business if it is operating on a carbon neutral basis?
At this stage there are no tax incentives, but we hope this may change in the future as the government continues to develop its position on carbon emissions.
What is the Gold Standard?
The Gold Standard was created in 2003 by a group of non-governmental organisations including climate change veterans WWF, SouthSouthNorth, and Helio International. Today it is officially supported by 51 NGO’s worldwide and operates from Switzerland as a non-profit foundation. The Gold Standard is governed by representatives of the NGO’s, governments, and the private sector.
The Gold Standard works three ways: as a foundation, a project development method, and a credit label. At Offset the Rest, we purchase Gold Standard carbon credits issued from projects that have undergone a rigorous validation and verification process, and have been awarded the Gold Standard carbon credit label.
Gold Standard was created to ensure that carbon markets work for a long term climate solution and stimulate local sustainable development. Gold Standard projects exclusively focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to reduce emissions at the source.
Learn more about Gold Standard here.
